Stairway to Heaven
by ChoCedric
Summary: AU. "You mean ... you're not disappointed that I couldn't defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked in a choked whisper. "We could never be disappointed,, darling," Lily said softly, and James nodded in silent agreement. "We are so very, very proud of you."


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: This is a companion piece to Fall of the Light Child. You don't need to read that to understand this, however. Please leave a review and let me know what you think; this story makes me very emotional.

Stairway to Heaven

By: ChoCedric

A feeling of complete hopelessness, defeat, and fear seized Harry as he lay helplessly on the ground, the green light of death speeding towards him. It had been a hard fight, but this was the end result: Voldemort had won. It was over. He was seventeen and going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He tried endlessly to get up, but the torture Voldemort had just subjected him to had severely weakened him. As the killing curse hurtled towards his chest and finally hit him, the last sounds he heard were Voldemort's raucous cackle of victory, and all of Harry's defenders and supporters screaming. The ones that stood out to him were the screams of Ron, Hermione, Sirius (who had survived a harrowing battle in the Department of Mysteries two years ago), and the girl he loved with all his heart, Ginny.

Then, his world went black. It was over.

xxx

Slowly, Harry returned to consciousness, and he realized that he was lying on something very soft, with two sets of arms holding him. He felt so comforted, so loved in this embrace, that for a moment he didn't want to open his eyes. He'd never, ever felt this way before.

But suddenly, he was flooded with an influx of memories, and a gasp was let loose from his throat. Oh Merlin, he had just lost the final battle, and Voldemort had just killed him. So where was he? Was there truly a life after death?

"It's all right, darling," said a soothing voice in his ear. "Open your eyes."

Slowly, Harry did as he was told, and another gasp left his lips. For lying with him in a warm sunny meadow, holding him, were the two people he'd dreamed of seeing for years; Lily and James Potter.

For one eternal moment, Harry looked into their eyes, one set emerald just like his own, and one set hazel, and then a flood of emotion so huge swept over him that he was unable to control it. Before he could stop them, tears were flowing freely down his face as he was held protectively in their arms.

Lily and James felt bittersweet joy as they held their son, their strong, brave son. They had longed to be reunited with him ever since they had crossed the veil, but it was painful that it had to be under these circumstances. They'd hoped that at least Harry would grow up to be an old man, but sadly, that was not to be.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Mum, Dad," Harry choked out through his sobs, grief choking him. "I've failed. I've failed. It was all for nothing, you died for nothing, I couldn't defeat him, I failed."

"No, sweetheart," Lily said through her own tears as she stroked Harry's hair and James stroked his back. "You didn't fail, and we didn't die for nothing. It's all right, love, it's all right."

But Harry continued to sob, his face full of shame and guilt. The couple who had watched over him for over sixteen years continued to hold him, trying to give him all the comfort they could.

Finally, Harry's sobs subsided, and he looked at his parents with pain-filled emeralds. "I ... I can't stay here," he whispered. "I ... I need to go back."

James looked at him with heartache. "Harry, you can't, son," he said sadly. "We who have crossed the veil cannot interfere with the living."

"But ... can't I go back as a ghost?" Harry cried desperately. "I ... I need to help everyone!"

Lily and James felt a huge pang of sorrow go through them. Their son was so brave, so good. They knew he wanted to spend eternity with them, but he would give it up in a heartbeat if it meant helping his friends and loved ones on the other side.

"You know that ghosts can't actively cast spells," Lily said lovingly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry it had to happen this way."

Harry buried his face in Lily's shoulder, his own shoulders slumping in terrible defeat. "I've failed," he repeated.

"Harry, listen to me," James commanded firmly but gently as he and Lily lifted Harry's chin so he could look into their eyes. There was no condemnation there, only love. "You tried your best, and that was all anyone could ever ask of you. We're so sorry this burden was ever placed upon you."

"You deserved so much more in your life," Lily said softly. "You've been so brave, sweetheart. We are so, so very proud of you."

"You mean ..." Harry said slowly, looking at his parents in wonder. "You mean you're not disappointed that I couldn't defeat Voldemort? You mean you don't think you died for nothing?"

"We could never be disappointed, Harry," Lily whispered tenderly, and James nodded in silent agreement. "And no, we didn't die for nothing."

"We didn't die to only give you a chance to defeat Voldemort," James murmured. "We died to give you a chance to experience life. It didn't matter to us whether you got rid of him or not."

Tears filled Harry's eyes again as he was pulled into another embrace. "But now ..." he said, his voice muffled against their shoulders. "Voldemort will ruin everyone else's lives. He'll kill everyone I love."

"Son, there is always hope," James said. "We don't believe that prophecies are always right. After all, it said you were the one with the power to defeat Voldemort, it didn't say you were the ONLY one with the power to defeat Voldemort, did it?"

For the first time since he had fallen in the final battle, Harry produced a smile. The strength in his father's words, and the look of total honesty he gave him, made his heart a little lighter.

"And your friends will keep fighting," Lily reassured him, smiling softly as well. "They won't give up, they're strong."

"I know," Harry replied. He'd known, they'd all known, that there was a chance he would die, and he'd even talked to his friends about how, if that did happen, he didn't want them to stop fighting. They had promised him, sworn to him that they would not.

"Where am I, exactly?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"You're on the stairway to Heaven, darling," Lily said quietly. "And if you come with us, we'll take you the rest of the way."

So Harry, even though his heart was filled with pain and sorrow at leaving the world behind, took his parents' hands as they all stood up. Despite the tragedy that had just occurred, he was now given the chance to completely bask in Lily and James's love.

And then he felt himself lifting off the ground, and he was flying with them, flying to the place where he would live for eternity.


End file.
